TALK TOOLKIT — Delivering Lectures with Purpose Du’a: The Legacy of Our Prophets TALK TOOLKIT Du’a: The Legacy of Our Prophets

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Grantor of Mercy.

When thinking of worship in Islam, the five pillars of faith often come to mind first. We do our best to pray, fast, donate to the needy, make Hajj, and consistently renew our conviction in .ﷺ Allah and His Messenger, Muhammad

But while the five pillars provide us with general guides on the long and challenging journey of life, Allah mandates His creation to participate in yet another beautiful way of worship: du’a, or supplicating to Him. The One who created us all wants us to develop and maintain a conversation with Him throughout our lives.

Within our conversations, Allah encourages us to turn to Him to seek His guidance and rely on Him in good times and bad. In the process, we talk to Him about our fears, aspirations, desires, and struggles, and thank Him for the blessings in our life. Du’a acts as a powerful tool for any believer, existing simultaneously as a way to find comfort in struggle, show our gratitude and belief, and express to Allah our struggles and worries as a means of seeking His guidance. In doing so, we remain conscious of His presence and role in our lives amidst the ups and downs.

Through du’a we can seek Allah’s forgiveness, find emotional comfort in knowing that there is an avenue to talk about things we perhaps can’t talk to anyone else about, and attain Allah’s pleasure with us. Those who talk to Allah when no one else is watching are of the conscious people (al-muttaqīn) He repeatedly mentions in the Qur’an.

So let’s look to the Qur’an for inspiration. The opening surah of the Holy Qur’an is a du’a, and every rakat [unit] of every prayer begins with the recitation of the supplication that is Surah Al- Fatihah. In this du’a, Allah makes clear to His servants the nature of our relationship with Him from the outset, urging those who follow Him to seek His guidance throughout their lives. Directly following the sincere du’a for Allah’s guidance in Surah Al-Fatiha is an entire surah dedicated to such guidance: Al-Baqarah.

And it is within Surah Al-Baqarah that Allah reveals the following:

1 َوإ َذا َﺳﺎٔ َﻟ َﻚ ِﻋ َﺒﺎ ِدي َﻋ ﱢﻨﻲ َﻓ ٕﺎﻧﱢﻲ َﻗ ِﺮ ٌﻳﺐ ۖ أ ِﺟ ُﻴﺐ َد ْﻋ َﻮ َة اﻟ ﱠﺪاعِ إ َذا َد َﻋﺎ ِن ۖ َﻓ ْﻠ َﻴ ْﺴ َﺘ ِﺠﻴ ُﺒﻮا ِﻟﻲ َو ْﻟ ُﻴ ٔﻮ ِﻣ ُﻨﻮا ِﺑﻲ َﻟ َﻌ ﱠﻠ ُﻬ ْﻢ ﻳَ ْﺮ ُﺷ ُﺪو َن And when My servants ask you concerning Me—indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when He calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be guided. [2:186]

The connection between Surah Al-Fatihah (the supplication for guidance) and Surah Al- Baqarah (the answer to the supplication for such guidance) epitomizes the relationship between humankind and our Creator. And while the order and structure of the first two chapters of the Qur’an can act as sufficient evidence for this claim, Allah provides us with two unique prophetic examples to demonstrate that relationship in action.

Adam and Ibrahim  find themselves in two very different situations yet, despite their differences, Allah details their unwavering dedication in turning back to Him. Today, we will compare the du’as of both of these prophets in terms of their context and how the two of them best exemplify the true nature of humankind’s relationship with our Lord.

The Du’a of Prophet Adam in Context

Prophet Adam was the first of humankind, initially abiding in Paradise with his wife, Hawwa. All he knew was the pleasure of Allah, and he lived a life of ease. Yet Shaytan caused Adam and Hawwa to slip, leading them to disobey Allah’s command to refrain from eating the fruits of a specified tree. Allah details Adam’s disobedience in verse 36, and in the very next verse reveals the following:

َﻓ َﺘ َﻠ ﱠﻘ ٰﻰ آ َد ُم ِﻣﻦ ﱠرﺑﱢ ِﻪ ِﻛَﻠ َﻤﺎ ٍت َﻓ َﺘﺎ َب َﻋ َﻠ ْﻴ ِﻪ ۚ إﻧﱠ ُﻪ ُﻫ َﻮ اﻟ ﱠﺘ ﱠﻮا ُب اﻟ ﱠﺮ ِﺣﻴ ُﻢ

Then Adam received from His Lord words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, it is He who is Accepting of repentance, the Merciful. [2:37]

This incident, as it is related in the Qur’an, provides us with a few powerful lessons. Adam  disobeyed Allah. Almost immediately, he receives instructions from his Lord on how to have a conversation with Him—a powerful indication that Allah wants to hear our prayers, and wants us to have our prayers answered, or else He would not have taught us. As proof, Allah accepted Adam’s repentance immediately after He taught him how to seek it.

Adam’s sincerity and perseverance are central to understanding how our interactions with Allah should be. As previously mentioned, prior to Shaytan’s trick, all Adam had ever known

2 was a life of ease and pure enjoyment, which were all blessings from Allah alone. When he let Shaytan trick him into disobeying Allah, he went against the command of the One who gave him so much. At this point, it would have been easy for him to beat himself up and think that Allah would not accept his du’a or that he was not worthy of maintaining a connection with Him.

But he immediately dismisses this problematic thought process, ignoring Shaytan’s attempt at tricking him into falling even further out of line. Directly after Allah explains Adam’s mistake in verse 36, He reveals that Adam sought sincere forgiveness from Him in the very next verse. Sometimes, we may feel like we have gone so far down the wrong road that we despair of Allah’s mercy and feel unworthy of seeking His forgiveness. But Allah reminds us through the example of Adam that this is simply a trick of Shaytan, and true believers seek Allah’s forgiveness immediately after they disobey Him.

The story of Adam also shows us that Allah’s forgiveness is immediate—provided that we are sincere. Just as Surah Al-Baqarah is revealed immediately after Surah Al-Fatihah makes supplication for guidance, Allah explains to us that He forgives Adam the instant he seeks forgiveness.

The very first human to ever live sinned, and there is no doubt we will sin as well. But it is never too late to turn back to Allah and seek His forgiveness. He will answer our supplication if we are sincere.

The Du’a of Prophet Ibrahim in Context

Surah Al-Baqarah details another important du’a of one of the earliest prophets: Ibrahim . However, unlike Adam, Ibrahim’s supplication comes directly after obeying the command of Allah—confirming that God’s promise to answer our supplication to Him applies during times of weakness and strength, triumph and failure.

Allah reveals his command to Ibrahim and his son, Ismail, in verse 124 when He instructs them to build the Kaaba. After Ibrahim and Ismail are successful in their instructed task, Ibrahim makes du’a to Allah for the following:

َرﺑﱠ َﻨﺎ ﺗَ َﻘ ﱠﺒ ْﻞ ِﻣ ﱠﻨﺎ ۖ إﻧﱠ َﻚ أ َﻧﺖ ا ﱠﻟﺴ ِﻤﻴ ُﻊ ا ْﻟ َﻌ ِﻠﻴ ُﻢ َرﺑﱠ َﻨﺎ َوا ْﺟ َﻌ ْﻠ َﻨﺎ ُﻣ ْﺴ ِﻠ َﻤ ْﻴ ِﻦ َﻟ َﻚ َو ِﻣﻦ ُذ ﱢرﻳﱠ ِﺘ َﻨﺎ أ ﱠﻣ ًﺔ ﱡﻣ ْﺴ ِﻠ َﻤ ًﺔ ﱠﻟ َﻚ َوأ ِرﻧَﺎ َﻣ َﻨﺎ ِﺳﻜَ َﻨﺎ َوﺗُ ْﺐ َﻋ َﻠ ْﻴ َﻨﺎ ۖ إﻧﱠ َﻚ أ َﻧﺖ اﻟ ﱠﺘ ﱠﻮا ُب اﻟ ﱠﺮ ِﺣﻴ ُﻢ

3 َرﺑﱠ َﻨﺎ َواﺑْ َﻌ ْﺚ ِﻓﻴ ِﻬ ْﻢ َر ُﺳﻮ ًﻻ ﱢﻣ ْﻨ ُﻬ ْﻢ ﻳَ ْﺘ ُﻠﻮ َﻋ َﻠ ْﻴ ِﻬ ْﻢ آﻳَﺎ ِﺗ َﻚ َوﻳُ َﻌ ﱢﻠ ُﻤ ُﻬ ُﻢ ا ْﻟ ِﻜ َﺘﺎ َب َوا ْﻟ ِﺤﻜْ َﻤ َﺔ َوﻳُ َﺰﻛﱢﻴ ِﻬ ْﻢ ۚ إﻧﱠ َﻚ أ َﻧﺖ ا ْﻟ َﻌ ِﺰﻳ ُﺰ ا ْﻟ َﺤ ِﻜﻴ ُﻢ Our Lord, accept from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing. Our Lord, and make us Muslims to You and from our descendants a Muslim nation to You. And show us our rites and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the accepting of repentance, the Merciful. Our Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise. [2:127-129]

Ibrahim’s situation is the opposite of Adam’s. He has lived a life of hardship, and no ease has come to him. Yet we see him unwavering in his dedication in doing good and obeying the command of Allah. It is through the story of Ibrahim and the account of his du’a to Allah that we are given another example of what our connection with Allah should look like.

Just like Adam , Allah accepts Ibrahim’s supplication right away. However, note here that Ibrahim  asks Allah to make his descendants Muslims and to send a messenger to them. This is a long-term request that will undoubtedly occur after Ibrahim’s lifetime. Hence, although Allah answers our du’a right away, the nature of what we seek may not always unfold right away or even during our worldly existence.

Many people make constant du’a to Allah seeking a way out of their hardship and do not see the results they hope for immediately, or perhaps never see them at all. But Allah is illustrating to us through the example of Ibrahim in Surah Al-Baqarah that what you are asking for will only unfold according to Allah’s plan, and you should find comfort in that.

If you stop seeking Allah’s guidance because you have not seen the results you were hoping for, then this signifies a doubt in Allah’s promise to provide for you or a lack of understanding that He may have already done so in a way you did not expect. Allah is Al- Hakeem (The Most Wise), and His plan for you will roll out according to how He sees fit. Conclusion

Du’a is an extremely important tool for the believer. It enables a connection with our Lord, the One who alone will provide you with the guidance you seek. Surah Al-Fatihah begins with a du’a for guidance, and Allah answers that du’a with His guidance by way of Surah Al- Baqarah. And within Al-Baqarah, He provides more concrete examples of the proper way to seek His guidance and His immediate acceptance of our sincere supplication. The ordering and content of the first two surahs of the Qur’an as well as the du’as and situations of prophets Adam and Ibrahim exemplify the following:

4 • Allah accepts our sincere supplication immediately: Whether you ask Allah to forgive you for your wrongdoing, accept your efforts, or guide you on the straight path, He will answer your supplication immediately. However, outside of the scope of seeking His forgiveness, acceptance, or guidance, the concrete things you ask for in this life may not come to you in the way you expect them to or as quickly as you want them to. Allah has a plan for us all, and that plan will unfold according to His will in the way that is most beneficial. This is guaranteed through the words of the Prophet : َﻣﺎ ِﻣ ْﻦ ُﻣ ْﺴ ِﻠ ٍﻢ ﻳَ ْﺪ ُﻋﻮ ِﺑ َﺪ ْﻋ َﻮ ٍة َﻟ ْﻴ َﺲ ِﻓﻴ َﻬﺎ إﺛْ ٌﻢ َو َﻻ َﻗ ِﻄﻴ َﻌ ُﺔ َر ِﺣ ٍﻢ إ ﱠﻻ أ ْﻋ َﻄﺎ ُه ا ﱠﻟﻠ ُﻪ ِﺑ َﻬﺎ إ ْﺣ َﺪى ﺛَـ َﻼ ٍث إ ﱠﻣﺎ أ ْن ﺗُ َﻌ ﱠﺠ َﻞ َﻟ ُﻪ َد ْﻋ َﻮﺗُ ُﻪ َوإ ﱠﻣﺎ أ ْن ﻳَ ﱠﺪ ِﺧ َﺮ َﻫﺎ َﻟ ُﻪ ِﻓﻲ ْاﻵ ِﺧ َﺮ ِة َوإ ﱠﻣﺎ أ ْن ﻳَ ْﺼ ِﺮ َف َﻋ ْﻨ ُﻪ ِﻣ ْﻦ ا ﱡﻟﺴﻮ ِء ِﻣ ْﺜ َﻠ َﻬﺎ َﻗﺎ ُﻟﻮا إ ًذا ﻧُﻜْ ِﺜ ُﺮ َﻗﺎ َل ا ﱠﻟﻠ ُﻪ أﻛْ َﺜ ُﺮ “There is no Muslim who calls upon Allah, without sin or cutting family ties, but that Allah will give him one of three answers: He will quickly fulfill his supplication, He will store it for him in the Hereafter, or He will divert an evil from him similar to it.” They said, “In that case we will ask for more.” The Prophet said, “Allah has even more.” [Musnad Ahmad]

• No matter your life circumstances, your connection to Allah should be your priority: Adam experienced a life of ease, while Ibrahim experienced a life of hardship. Yet they both turned to Allah to seek His guidance and acceptance in times of difficulty and in times of triumph, proving that their true focus was on Him. Allah ordains different tests and ways of life for everyone, yet those who believe understand that Allah’s plan is His will alone. And, regardless of your situation, a connection with Him will serve you well and keep you from continuing down the wrong path.

• You are never too far gone and you are also never too ahead of the curve. As exemplified by Adam , it is never too late to turn to Allah. Even if you have been granted a life full of blessing and you go against Allah’s guidance, you should never feel like your repentance does not mean anything or that you are undeserving of it. Having this mindset draws you further away from guidance and has the potential to lead you down a dangerous path. Conversely, Ibrahim  had a tough life full of trials. Yet he consistently obeyed the command of Allah in spite of his difficulties. He could have easily developed arrogance or entitlement like Shaytan, thinking he deserved much better than what he had been given. But he chose instead to seek Allah’s acceptance and be humble before Him—and what he wished for in his du’a came to fruition in the long run. Regardless of which position you find yourself in, recognize that to Allah is your ultimate return, and your connection with Him in humility and gratitude is essential at all times.

May Allah give us the strength to be sincere in our du’a and have unwavering faith in His plan and His will, and may He guide us back to Him when we stray from the straight path. Ameen.

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